JIS Services

The Central Information Technology Office (CITO) will inform public and private sector executives about measures being implemented to enhance the local business environment over the next 12 to 18 months, at the Friday Policy Forum to be held at the Old Hope campus of the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) on March 26.
Michael duQuesnay, Chief Executive Officer of CITO, is expected to speak on the issue during his presentation on the topic ‘Information Technology and Jamaica’s Public Sector Modernization: How CITO will Contribute to Getting us There’. He will also comment on the National Information Technology Strategy.
Mr. duQuesnay’s presentation comes on the heels of a recent World Bank report, which rated Jamaica’s enabling environment for business establishment and operation among the top ten in the world.
Established in 2002, CITO is a publicly owned company established by Cabinet to assist with executing the objectives of the national information communication technology policy, which is to have “joined-up” government, linking government activities to develop e-commerce and e-government. The body has been mandated to facilitate, define, implement, monitor, source and continuously improve public sector ICT services to create quality and efficiency in a cost effective manner.
Stating that CITO played an important role in supporting investment, Mr. duQuesnay explained that in carrying out its functions, CITO worked to create an environment “where investors [can] look at it and say ‘yes, this is a pitch we’d like to play on. It’s a good place to do business. It’s a reliable place to do business'”.
He added, “There are a lot of opportunities sitting on the table now for working between Government and private sector. to make Jamaica a better country to do business in.”
He said that CITO was fully supportive of the public sector modernization process and noted that many of its targets of the modernization unit were either directly associated with the use of information technology, or they were directly facilitated by its use. “So I think a very important role that CITO has, is supporting that modernization project, and we have already.seen many benefits”.
Among the benefits Mr. DuQuesnay pointed to, were conducting business online with the National Land Agency, the Office of the Registrar of Companies, and Jamaica Customs. He also noted that as a consequence of public sector modernization, e-payments could now be made to a number of government services.